Demelza the Bee
by Anrheithwyr
Summary: "According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyways. Because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."-Bee Movie


_**Written for the 'Quidditch League Semi-Finals': Minor Character Appreciation Round, using **__Write a fic in which your chosen character is the last to know something. __**Using prompts "I never should have mentioned it", last minute, and "We were, weren't we". **_

_**Written for the 'If You Dare Challenge' by Slytherin Cat, using prompt # 138, choices. **_

_**Written for the 'Duct Tape Challenge' by lezonne, using **__Dark Blue: Mysterious color, so write about something happening at night._

_**Written for the 'Journey through Hogwarts Challenge' by Cheeky Slytherin Lass, using **__f. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions- You are restless as you wait for Madam Malkin to fit you for your robes. You force yourself to stay still, hoping your patience will pay off. Write a fic over 2,000 words._

_**Written for the 'Ten times Ten Challenge' by she who is made of stars, using Spell: Alohomora. **_

_**Written for the 'February Femslash Challenge' by percychased.**_

…_._

"_According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyways. Because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."-Bee Movie _

…_._

"Alohomora," Ginny said calmly, unlocking the door to their changing room, with Demelza following her closely behind. They were both exhausted and worn out, but neither cared, too consumed by the fact that _they had just won the Quidditch Cup_. As they stepped into the changing room, though, the two girls were met by madness and loud chaos, as the youngest two members of their team-Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes-ran around like lunatics, going completely wild and out of control.

"We won! We're amazing-we're the best, the absolute best!" Peakes and Coote were yelling, running around with their Beater's clubs still in hand, occasionally whacking each other on the shoulder as they cried triumphantly. "We're the best-Gryffindor wins, we're the best!" They began punching each other and grabbing clothes at random, flinging the articles at each other and laughing like wild children. Ginny and Demelza watched them as they came in, dripping with sweat.

"We were, weren't we?" Ginny said to Demelza quietly, watching the younger two boys laugh and dance like a pair of wild animals. Demelza nodded, unable to keep the smile off her face. This had been so important to them, winning the Quidditch Cup, even without Harry here. It was Demelza's first ever win of the Cup-and her first year as a Chaser, too-and just staring at the shiny trophy made her smile.

"Accio," Ginny called, retrieving her belongs with a simple wave of her wand. The boys, who had been flinging up random bits of clothing, groaned as Ginny's jumper flew out from their hands. "Idiots," Ginny said cheerfully, blowing the younger boys a kiss, piling up her things into a big lump. "I swear, you would think we just won the Quidditch World Cup-silly children, don't they know there's still next year to win?"

Demelza hardly even heard Ginny, too busy grinning like a maniac herself, still caught up in the euphoria of winning. Outside of the locker room, Demelza could still hear the roar of the students who were waiting for them to emerge, the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs who were partying outside, and the Ravenclaws, who had scowled at the Gryffindor team as they walked off the pitch. She had no clue where the Slytherins were.

"I'll be right back, then," Ginny said, making her way over to the girl's showers, already stripping off her uniform. Demelza didn't know why, but she kept watching Ginny as the redheaded girl walked off, having to pull her eyes away to remain alert to what Ritchie and Jimmy were saying, still smacking each other with their clubs. Demelza had always been in awe of Ginny, who was so confident and self-assured. Ginny spoke her mind and stood up to those she didn't care for and Demelza had always to be just like that.

Demelza had always felt a strange tug towards the redheaded girl, who had always felt so much older to Demelza, and so much wiser as well. She had always wanted to follow Ginny around, hear every word that came out of Ginny Weasley's mouth. If Demelza hadn't known better, she could have sworn this was what being in love felt like, but that was ridiculous. Demelza wasn't in love, not with Ginny Weasley, not with her best friend, not with her house mate, who had a boyfriend.

(She wasn't gay, was she? Oh….was this what love felt like? Wanting to be around one person for the rest of your life, wanting to spend the rest of your existence wrapped up next to them? If this was love, Demelza wanted all of it.)

She buried her head in a pile of towels, confused. Was she in love with Ginny Weasley? Was she gay, or was there just something wrong with her? No, no-Demelza knew there was certainly nothing wrong with her. She was….she was in love with her friend. That's what she was-in love, in love with her best friend. Demelza didn't feel any better, though, because she didn't know what to do about that or how she was going to handle being around Ginny anymore.

She groaned, remaining on the bench for hours as the others showered, changed, and left her in the locker room alone. Demelza didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to do about being in love with her best friend. She didn't know if she wanted to do _anything _about it-no, she had to tell Ginny, at least. She had to, she owed Ginny that much, as a friend.

….

It was kind of last minute, coming to the after-party, wearing just jeans and an old sweatshirt. She hadn't ever really been to one of the Quidditch parties, usually hiding out in her room or with the Hufflepuffs. But now, Demelza was on a mission, and she was arriving to her common room, intent on confronting Ginny with the truth. Ginny had to know, and Demelza knew the only way she, personally, would feel better would be by explaining how she truly felt.

Demelza heard the roar of the crowd around her as she searched for Ginny, but she couldn't make out individual words. She had been oblivious, she had been so stupid but now…._Ginny has a boyfriend_, the voice in her head reminded her, but Demelza already knew that. She didn't care-she didn't intend on wrecking any relationships tonight, she just needed to confess something to Ginny, she just needed to tell Ginny the truth that she….

"Dem?" Ginny called, waving her over to where she was sprawled across a couch. Harry was nowhere to be found, and Demelza relaxed just a bit, relieved to not have to explain that she was in love with Ginny right in front of Ginny's boyfriend. Harry was nice, but he was also Demelza's captain and frightened Demelza quite a bit. "Dem?" Ginny asked her, seeing the pained look on Demelza's face. "Dem, is something wrong?"

"I…Ginny…" she stuttered, pausing, and the confused look on Ginny's face made Demelza blush terribly. "Ginny, I…" she couldn't say it, she couldn't say it-nothing was coming out, she literally couldn't speak, and oh _Merlin_, why was this so hard? It had been simple in her head, just stating the truth and leaving Ginny to reflect on the new information.

"Dem? Are you okay?" Ginny asked, voice full of concern, and to make matters worse, Harry had come back with two bottles of Butterbeer, one of which he handed to Ginny. He looked between the two of them, taking in Demelza's look of anguish and Ginny's confusion. "Is there something you need to tell us, Dem? Is something wrong? Dem?" Ginny had now risen from the couch, gripping Demelza's arms with tight fingers, and Demelza nearly passed out. She hadn't expected things to go like this, with Ginny giving her such a look of concern and Harry watching her every moment.

"I'm fine," Demelza mumbled, gripping the edge of her robes tightly. "I'm fine, I just…I just wanted to tell you something, Ginny…I wanted to….I wanted to tell you something…" she couldn't even think right now, being around Ginny, who was beautiful and amazing and, oh _Merlin_, why did it have to be Ginny of all people that she had to have fallen in love with? "I…I just wanted to say…" _spit it out, Dem, spit it out, come on, and just say it. Get it over with-say it, hurry up. _"I'm in love with you."

Demelza had run this situation through her head a million times on the way up to the common room, imaging the different ways Ginny might have reacted, imagining the way life would be after all this-because there was no way things could ever be the same again, not after she confessed the truth to Ginny, that she loved the redheaded girl. She had run through what she had thought was every possibility.

(This had not been one of them.)

"Oh? Is that all?" Ginny asked, not even seeming the slightest bit surprised. Harry, too, didn't seem to be very thrown off about it, and Demelza was beginning to grow very confused, because she hadn't expected this. Anger, yes, sadness-maybe. But not this, this happy expectancy, like they had been waiting for her to say something like this, and…_had they always just assumed that she was gay? Did everyone know? _"Dem, I'm so glad you final said something-we were wondering when you'd finally confess."

Demelza didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to react, because this wasn't the way things were supposed to go, and this wasn't in any plan she could have ever made. This…this _oh, we knew all along_…it wasn't what she was expecting and-Demelza didn't want it. She didn't want to have found out just now that everyone else thought she was gay and had never bothered mentioning it. Was she the only person to have not known?

(And about herself, too? How long had they just _known _without telling her? A year? Two? _Oh Merlin_, what if it had been obvious from the very beginning?)

She ran, she ran out of the common room with no idea where to go, because she was angry. She was angry that no one had told her, angry that they had suspected but never brought it up. Demelza had spent ages trying to figure out why she followed Ginny Weasley around everywhere-why she felt so drawn to the redheaded girl-and they, the others, had always known. Why had no one said anything? Why had no one said anything to her, ever?

(She fell, stumbling, tears in her eyes. She hated the lot of them-_hated them_-for making her a fool.)

Demelza frowned, running her fingers through her hair, holding back a groan. This wasn't what she wanted, this had never been what she wanted. She…what was she supposed to do now? Return to the common room, where everyone was, see Ginny and Harry again, and pretend like she was fine? Oh, Merlin, how long had they known? Had everyone just _known _except Demelza herself? Merlin, she was an idiot, wasn't she?

She hadn't meant to fall in love with Ginny Weasley-she hadn't even known she had fallen in love with Ginny Weasley-but everyone else had apparently already been fully aware of this and just never told her, and now Demelza just felt like an idiot. She sunk to the floor, the lights along the corridor flickering, the moon rising higher into the sky, and Demelza sobbed once.

_How could you be so stupid? How could you not have known? Merlin, you are an idiot, aren't you? A little gay idiot, that's all you are. How could you not have realised that you loved Ginny-everyone else knew. Everyone else figured it out ages ago, when you still thought it was normal for your eyes to follow her around like that, for your arms to crave holding her so tightly. How could you have not ever figured this out, Demelza?_

"Dem?" Ginny called from down the hallway, but Demelza only curled up into a ball, tucking her fingers under her chin, trying to keep from screaming or crying. She was being so stupid-_she was a fool_-because of course it was obvious. Why wouldn't they know? _Why didn't they tell me, then? Why did I have to figure this out last? It's not fair. _"Dem, Dem, I'm sorry I upset you! Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Ginny had put her arms around Demelza-the one thing she didn't want right now-holding the girl close to her.

"I never should have mentioned it," Demelza said, still sobbing, wishing a thousand hateful things against the world right now, because everyone had known, and she had been left in the dark. This...Demelza felt like this was worse than lying-this was withholding information that would have changed her life. She….why hadn't they told her before? "I never should have even said anything…you've only wrecked it, it's all ruined, I never should have mentioned it." She wiped her eyes, wishing she could just disappear into the wall, where the paintings were staring at the two of them.

"Dem, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings-I swear, I really didn't. I thought you'd always known…I mean, we all kind of thought you'd always known, but you just never mentioned it, so we never said anything. I swear, if I had known that you just found out….I'm sorry, Dem, I really didn't mean to make you cry, please don't cry." This was why Demelza had fallen in love with Ginny Weasley, who was kind and compassionate and concerned. And this was why Demelza hated herself for falling in love with Ginny Weasley, who was too perfect. Demelza didn't deserve her, for sure.

"Why didn't you guys tell me? Why didn't anyone ever say anything? im….im thought I was just obsessed with you, Ginny, or that you were just this amazing friend, and…I didn't understand that this is what they call _love_, that I'm in love with you, because I didn't even know what being in love meant or what it feels like and…and you just never _told me_-Merlin, I'm such an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot, no, no. You're not an idiot, Dem, you just…we all made mistakes, Dem, we all just-we were stupid, I should have told you, even if I just suspected something, I just should have asked, to clarify-Merlin, no, Dem, you're not an idiot, you are _not _an idiot!" Ginny was holding her so tightly now, and all Demelza could focus on was the redhead's lips, which were just inches away from Demelza's, and she couldn't help herself.

(Ginny tasted like tears and friendship and like long nights spent on grassy hills, staring up at the stars and wondering what the future would be like. Demelza liked what Ginny tasted like.)

She had spent her whole life being the good child, the one who followed rules and expectations and did as she was told. Demelza was a human, and she followed the rules set out for her by other humans. Or maybe she was a humble little bumble bee, who just didn't care what the humans said, and lifted her wings, ready to fly. Maybe she didn't care about the rules set out by man, and maybe she was the sort of person who didn't ever have to care again.

(Demelza liked what Ginny tasted like.

Demelza liked Ginny.)


End file.
